


Feeling Small

by Fortune_Maiden



Category: Kamen Rider Den-O
Genre: And coffee, Ensemble Cast, Gen, Those three are probably the main ones but everyone is here, fluff and friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-29 23:14:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19840543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fortune_Maiden/pseuds/Fortune_Maiden
Summary: It’s not easy suddenly being eight years old again...





	Feeling Small

“Really, I’m telling you it’s _fine._ ”

“Are you sure? You’re seem a little young…”

“I’m old enough.”

“Sweetie, if there’s something going on, we can connect you with the right people.”

“There’s _nothing_ going on!”

Hana throws her hands up in disbelief. She’s at her wits end with this sales associate and her “concern”. It’s just her luck that the one time she has some free time to go shopping, she picks out a store with an employee that refuses to accept that an eight (almost nine) year old girl is perfectly capable of picking out some clothes and paying for them by herself.

“Really, it’s fine,” Hana insists. She’s already given up on this store and wants to go somewhere else. But the employee keeps insisting on trying to help her. Hana tells herself to be patient. If she ran into a little girl wandering around by herself, she’d be concerned to.

The problem, however, is that Hana is _not_ a little girl.

When Hana has first discovered herself to be eight years old, she’d fought back the fear and anxiety with the hope that the change in the timeline could mean the future—her future—might be returning. If a little age difference is the price to pay for being able to go home again, she can accept it.

But a child’s body is full of inconveniences. Her old clothes don’t fit her anymore. She can’t reach high counters or shelves. People treat her differently, like, well, a child.

Sure she was eight once, but that didn’t mean she remembered what it was like, or that she could adjust to it so easily. Hana’s way of dealing with it was to act as she always did. Aboard the DenLiner, the worst she had to endure was a few short jokes from Momotaros and Ryuutaros.

Outside though, it’s as if the world is determined to make her act appropriately for her age. She’s not sure how to shake of this employee. The woman seems convinced that she’s either lost or a runaway and wants to take her to the police.

The whole situation is embarrassing.

“Really, I’m not lost, I promise,” she insists. “And I really need to head back soon.”

“But…” the employee still seems unsure. Hana worries that if she leaves now, she’ll be followed, and it’s still a while before the DenLiner appears for her to duck into.

Fortunately, at that moment, help appears to her in the form of a familiar skipping young man across the street.

“Oh!” she exclaims. “Over there! I see my brother!” The employee glances up and Hana takes the opportunity to rush off. She stops in front of him and immediately pulls him into a hug.

“Play along,” she whispers, before dramatically exclaiming. “Oh dearest Yuuto. There you are!” The employee catches up to her.

“Excuse me, are you this little girl’s brother?” she asks.

Yuuto looks down at Hana who responds with determined nod, and then back at the employee. “Um, yes, that is correct,” he says woodenly, standing up straight. “This is my little sister. Hana-san. I, Sakurai Yuuto, thank you for taking care of her.”

His mannerisms are a dead giveaway. “Deneb?” Hana mouths, then cringes internally. Deneb is a decent enough guy (for an Imagin anyway), but he isn’t exactly a natural at this. Still, he’ll have to do.

Hana turns back to the employee and gives her best innocent eight-year-old-girl smile. “So yep, no lost little kid here. Thank you for your concern, but I’ll be fine now. Come on, brother dearest.” She grabs his hand and begins tugging him away, as he tries to grasp the situation.

“Wait, didn’t you want to buy something?” the employee asks. “Now that we’ve found your family…”

_Oh now, it’s okay_ , Hana thinks dryly. But she really just wants to get out there already. “Nope, I thought about it, and I’ll come back another time. My brother and I have to go now.”

Fortunately, she didn’t lose all of her strength when she shrank and she’s successful and dragging Deneb away from the store. She pulls him onto a relatively empty street, and which point Deneb swiftly vacates Yuuto’s body. The real Yuuto’s posture relaxes, and he crosses his arms and looks at her curiously, awaiting an explanation.

“Sorry for the sudden hug,” Hana says. “But thanks for getting me out of there.”

“Of course, Hana-san, Yuuto is always happy to help his friends,” Deneb assures her, ignoring Yuuto pointedly clearing his throat behind him. “But who was that young lady? Why was she following you?”

“Ah, you know,” Hana shrugs and tugs at a strand of her hair. “Some people get a little worried when they see a kid by themselves.”

“Oh,” Deneb says. Then it sinks in. “ _Oh_.”

“Yeah, I guess a brat on her own is a little less likely in the city,” Yuuto agrees thoughtfully, with a smirk Hana find irritating. Even if he’d helped her out that time (and this time), she still hasn’t fully forgiven him for carrying her around like a child before. “So what brings you out here? Imagin?”

“No, just some shopping,” Hana replies.

“Oh, then shall we accompany you then?” Deneb offers. “If you’re with Yuuto, you don’t have to worry about people thinking you’re by yourself.”

“ _Deneb._ ” Yuuto’s tone makes it clear how he feels about the suggestion.

“Now Yuuto, it’s important to help your friends—

“No, it’s fine,” Hana says. “Thank you for the help back there, but I’m fine on my own.” She’s considers asking Naomi to come with her next time, but then stubbornly rejects the thought. She doesn’t need a chaperone. She’s an adult.

“If you’re sure…” Deneb is visibly disappointed but doesn’t press the issue. Instead, he pulls out his basket of candy and hands her one.

“Hana, a word of advice,” Yuuto says. “You’re probably fine walking around on your own, but don’t forget you’re a kid now. It’s probably safer for you to stick with Nogami or at least have one of those guys around.”

“Duly noted,” Hana replies. As if she could forget she’s a kid. She thanks Yuuto for the advice, because he does care even if he’s bad at showing it and wanders off in another direction.

She’s grateful, but she doesn’t think she’ll follow it. Ryotarou has enough things to worry about. It’s not fair for her to force these issues on him. And taking the Imagin was out of the question. She’d never get anything done if she had to chaperone _them_.

She came out to the city to have a bit of a free day; to pretend she still had a normal life sometimes. Even if that normal life was inside of a child’s body now…

She’d planned to do more shopping, but now she’s not really sure about that anymore. It’s unlikely that _every_ store will give her a hard time, but she can’t rely on Yuuto or someone else suddenly appearing out of nowhere again. Besides, she can always get what she needs at the Terminal later on.

There’s more to do on a free day than shop, Hana tells herself. She’ll just find something she can do.

* * *

After wandering around some more, she suddenly realizes she’s near the Milk Dipper. She hasn’t been inside since she first became a child and Ryotarou hastily gave her the name “Kohana.” The name is awkward to her ears, and she doubts there are any parents out there who would give their second child a name so similar to their alleged first’s. Airi and her two suitors seemed to accept it easily enough though. She hasn’t really been avoiding the café and convinces herself there’s no reason not to stop by. After everything, some of Airi’s coffee would soothe her nerves.

Doors have become heavier for her, so as she tries to say “Hello” as she enters, her voice squeaks a bit from the exertion. Just another thing to get used to, she thinks.

The café is quiet when she enters, save for Airi and her two regulars. They turn to her.

“Kohana-chan!” Airi says in her melodic voice. “How are you?”

“Good,” Hana replies shyly and approaches the counter. As she climbs into a seat, Ozaki asks,

“How’s Hana-chan doing?”

“We haven’t seen her around in a while,” Miura adds. “Is everything alright?”

“She’s fine,” Hana answers, maybe a little too hastily. “She’s just…busy these days.”

Busy with what, she wonders quickly, hoping no one asks. However, much grief she gives Ryotarou about it, she’s just as bad at coming up with things on the spot.

Fortunately, no one does.

“It’s too bad,” Airi says with a soft sigh. “I hope she comes by again soon. I’ve gotten some new coffee friends I think she would like to meet.”

Hana perks up. She would definitely like to meet them.

“Are you looking for Ryo-chan?” Airi continues. “I’m afraid he’s out right now.”

“No, I was just in the area, and thought it’s been a while,” Hana says, then remembering “Kohana” had only been here once before and probably shouldn’t talk like a regular, adds. “It’s been a while since I was in this area, I mean. I thought I remembered your café being around here.”

“I see,” Airi nods, unfazed. “Well then, is there anything I can get you?”

“Yes, please,” Hana says trying to contain her excitement. “Can I try one of those new coffee blends you mentioned?”

Which is precisely the wrong thing to say, because Airi’s smile fades, and Ozaki and Miura stare at her. Ozaki’s grin widens.

“Wow, Kohana-chan, your tastes are so mature!” he says loudly, his tone somewhat patronizing.

“Is that alright though?” Miura has a frown on his face now. “Kohana-chan, do your parents let you drink coffee?”

The excitement she’d felt vanishes. Maybe it’s a sign that she’s a little too used to the DenLiner, but normally, there was something strange about a child ordering coffee. Hana herself hadn’t started drinking it until high school.

“R-right,” she mumbles, mostly to herself, her face heating up.

“Well, there’s no harm in wanting to try something,” Airi says. “I’ll be happy to let you try some. But Kohana-chan, it’s not good for a child to drink too much coffee. One cup here and there is fine, but if you make it a habit, you’ll stunt your growth.”

“Yeah,” Hana mumbles and hastily slides out of her seat.

“Kohana-chan?”

“No, no, you’re right,” she says, backing away. “I’m sorry, I just remembered, I need to head back. My, um, train’s about to leave.” If there’s one privilege of being a child, she doesn’t need to hesitate to break into a run.

She looks back once in time to see Airi rush out behind her, worriedly looking around.

* * *

She wasn’t lying about her train leaving, she realizes a few blocks from the Milk Dipper, when she finally stops running. A glance at a clock reveals the DenLiner will appear soon, so she decides to go back.

There’s not much she wants to do anymore, the encounter at the Milk Dipper replaying in her head. How is she going to explain this to Ryotarou? Why did she even run away like that? No one had really said anything that bad.

She slips past the dining car unnoticed and retreats into her room. At least her room hadn’t changed when she did, she thinks absently. It’s a simple room with just a bed and a desk, but it’s more or less home for her now.

She wonders how much longer that will be the case. Owner had said that her de-aging was a sign of the future changing, alongside the new track that had appeared. She’s not sure what that means. Will the track lead back to her future? Will it even be _her_ future? Or will it be “Kohana’s” future, but with all of Hana’s original memories intact.

It's a train of thought that leaves her jittery and scared, so she pushes it from her mind. She doesn’t need to think about that stuff. She just needs to focus on helping Ryotarou fight the Imagin. She’s not really sure how to help in this body though. Most people don’t want to talk (or listen) to a child, and if she does encounter an Imagin, she’s less able to fight it off. It’s probably a good thing then Ryotarou doesn’t really need her taking care of him anymore these days. It’s must be a little weird for him too to be constantly hanging out with a child.

It’s probably just better if she stays on the DenLiner. She can still keep his Imagin in line just fine. Momotaros and the others still treat her like her old self, and her punch can still send them flying.

For the first time that day, she feels herself calming down. Nothing happened, and there’s no reason for her to be upset she decides. She waits around in her room a little longer to make sure her smile in the mirror doesn’t seem forced, then straightens out her dress and skips over to the dining car.

She’s greeted with the usual scene of Momotaros and Urataros bickering while Kintaros snores, Ryuutaros draws, and Naomi eggs the combatants on from the top of the counter. They don’t really pay her entrance any attention aside from a cheery, “Yay, Hana-chan’s back!” from Naomi, and a quick glance from Urataros.

She’s not sure what the argument is about this time, but she’s apparently caught the ending of it, where Momotaros loses (predictable), yells “You’re just a useless pervert anyway,” and slides into an empty table to sulk, while Urataros laughs and glides into his own victor’s seat.

Hana just looks at the two of them and decides not to bother. Momotaros is going to find some new distraction in about five seconds anyway.

The fight(?) avoided, Naomi jumps off the counter and goes back behind the counter, her attention now fully on Hana. “Hana-chan, where’d you go today? You were gone all morning.”

“Just around,” Hana answers, suddenly awkward. Naomi rarely leaves the train, so she always looked forward to hearing about the going-ons around the city, in case she was inspired to take her own trip somewhere. But what’s there for Hana to say? She couldn’t do any shopping because the clerks were concerned about a little girl by herself? She had to be bailed out by Yuuto and Deneb? She visited Airi’s café and got reminded that little girls shouldn’t drink coffee?

The last one suddenly puts a stubborn thought in her head.

“Naomi-san, can I get some coffee?”

“Of course!” Naomi replies cheerfully and immediately dives under the counter to gather up her tools. Normally, Hana doesn’t like Naomi’s coffee. The icing on top is okay, but the drink itself is inhumanly sweet. She never refuses it when it’s served, but she always drinks it as slowly as possible (in hopes something will come up to pull her away), or gives a half-hearted protest when Momotaros or Ryuutaros steals her cup.

This time though, she’s looking forward to it. She grins triumphantly at her little act of rebellion, and notices too little too late the look Momotaros is giving her.

“What’s with that grin?” he asks.

“None of your business,” Hana retorts. This is all just business as usual aboard the DenLiner.

“No, no, no, you’re up to something,” deciding that this was his newfound distraction from his previous loss, Momotaros sidles over to her. “You just asked for coffee? Voluntarily.”

“I can drink coffee if I want to.” Maybe she imagines it, but her voice sounds more petulant than she intends. Or maybe that’s why Momotaros starts to cackle to himself.

“So even you have good tastes sometimes,” he says, and at that moment Naomi turns around with her colorful sugary creation.

Rather than the usual red, white, and blues though, the cream on the coffee is gold.

“Ta-dah! Just for you Hana-chan. Golden Coffee!”

“What? Golden Coffee!” Momotaros exclaims as Hana reaches up to take the cup. “Naomi, gimme one too!”

“Sorry, that was the last of the gold cream,” Naomi says with a smile and a shrug.

“In that case…mine!” Without warning, Momotaros snatches up the cup just before it can reach Hana’s hands and holds it over her head.

“Give it back!” Hana demands.

“Momo-chan, that’s not nice!” Naomi scolds.

“Really, Senpai?” Urataros chimes in disapprovingly from the other end of the dining car.

Ryuutaros, taking an interest in the developing chaos, jumps up on the table. “Hey, no fair. Why does Momotaros get to have gold coffee?”

“He _doesn’t_ ,” Hana snaps, and tries to jump up for it. Naomi gives her a resolute nod and also tries to make a grab for the cup.

“Shut up,” Momotaros snaps, dodging both of them effortlessly and looking towards Ryuutaros. “A brat like you shouldn’t be drinking coffee anyway.”

Hana stops. That comment isn’t aimed at her. She knows that. Momotaros is just being his usual annoying self.

She _knows_ that.

But all at once the events of the day replay in her mind, and the next thing she knows, her hand is balled into a fist.

She’s not quite sure if it’s her punch or Ryuutaros’ attempted tackle that does it.

In the chaos of Momotaros playing keep away with coffee mug, he’s suddenly knocked off balance, and the cup slips from his hands.

Then, it’s as if the world goes into slow motion as they watch it tip over as it falls and finally shatter when it hits the ground, spilling coffee everywhere.

Hana jumps back in time to avoid getting splashed, and then stares at the spill in a daze.

_Why…_

“Argh! Momotaros you idiot!” Ryuutaros yells. “Look what you did!”

“It wasn’t _my_ fault!” Momotaros shoots back, rubbing his side. “That nosy chick hit me!”

“You deserved it.”

“Did not! And for that matter, you tried to knock me over. How the hell am I supposed to keep my balance in these conditions?”

“Not my problem, stupid.”

“Alright, alright, let’s all calm down,” Naomi says, getting out from behind the counter and studying the broken glass. “The important thing is no one is hurt,” Hana doesn’t reply, still looking at the spill. Naomi kneels down to her level and smiles softly. “Hana-chan, I’m sorry. I’m going to go get a broom and some more icing. I’m positive we have more gold in storage. Alright?”

Hana nods slightly but doesn’t look up. As Naomi leaves, Momotaros shouts. “You should say that sooner next time!” and then crosses his arms, ignoring the dirty looks from Ryuutaros and Urataros.

Kintaros continues to snore through the whole ordeal.

“Well then.” Momotaros leans against the counter. “Let this be an important lesson in train car safety, and not tackling or hitting innocent Imagin carrying fragile objects.”

“The only one who needs such a lesson is you,” Urataros tells him coming over. “Please have a seat, Hana-san. We’ll clean up.”

Hana nods slightly again and finds an empty table to slide into.

“Come on, hop to it, Momotaros.”

“Ryuta, you played a part in this as well. You help too.”

“Tch. Fiiiiine.”

“Oh quit your whining,” Momotaros snaps at him, then suddenly points at Hana. “And you! Stop being so dramatic over a little spilled coffee.”

Hana nods. Momotaros is right. She’s acting silly. But was it really so wrong of her to just want to drink some coffee today?

“Or maybe, it’s like Airi said,” she mutters bitterly to herself. “Little girls shouldn’t drink coffee…”

Momotaros overhears. “Yeah, yeah, it’s like that,” he says. “Listen to Ryotarou’s big sis. You already shrunk. How much smaller do you wanna get?”

“At least _try_ to show a little delicacy, Senpai,” Urataros comments in an exasperated tone, just as Hana suddenly sniffles. Then everyone freezes in place.

Tears spring to her eyes without her being able to stop them, and she furiously starts to rub at her eyes. The Imagin turn to her slowly.

“Hana-san?” Urataros says. “Are you… alright?”

“Yes.” Her voice squeaks.

“You…you’ve, um, got something in your eye…I think…” Momotaros stammers quietly.

“It’s dust.” She turns away.

“Ah okay, cool. You should get that out then.” Momotaros lets out a audible sighs relief. She nods.

Yes. It’s just dust. She’s not actually—

“Momotaros, you made her cry!” Ryuutaros suddenly shouts, which is immediately followed by a loud snore from Kintaros.

“Cry?” The magic word jolts him awake. His gaze immediately lands on Hana, as she tries to stop her tears, and then slowly he turns to Momotaros. It doesn’t take much imagination to picture his expression on a human.

The temperature in the dining car falls a little bit.

“No, no, no, no! This is all a misunderstanding!” Momotaros yells, flailing his arms around. Then looking from Hana to the rest to his accusatory allies, he rushes over to her.

“H-hey!” Momotaros hovers over her awkwardly. “There’s no need for those! Look I did something dumb; I do that sort of thing. And you know how to handle it!” He grabs her wrist and lightly smacks it against himself. Unsatisfied with her limp hand, he starts to mold it into a proper fist, at which point, Hana wrestles herself free.

“Just leave me alone!” she shouts and slides further into the table. The tears are forming faster now, and she rubs at her eyes harder. She’s not crying. She’s not going to cry over this. She’s not a little kid!

“Yeah, okay, fine,” Momotaros says in a low voice backing away. He’s taken roughly three steps before he lets out a frustrated yell. “No, not fine!” he points at her. “You want coffee, you nosy chick? I’ll get you your damn coffee. Ryotarou! I’m taking over!”

He disappears in a flash of red before anyone can react. Hana sniffles again and buries her face in the tissue Kintaros quietly drops from above.

* * *

Momotaros reappears after 10 minutes.

In that time Hana’s tears have stopped, though her eyes still sting. She wants to return to her room and lock the door, but she thinks that would be even more embarrassing at this point. The spill in the dining car has been cleaned up, though Naomi has yet to return with the icing.

There’s a tense silence hanging over them, that’s broken by the train stopping, the door opening, and Ryotarou—possessed by Momotaros—tumbles in. There’s a large paper coffee cup in his hand.

“I have arrived,” he declares triumphantly, and steps out of Ryotarou, snatching the cup from him. The manic expression on Ryotarou’s face instantly crumbles and he stumbles back into a seat.

“Here!” Momotaros comes over to her slams the cup down on the table in front of Hana. It splashes from the rough handling. There’s a green duck in start shaped sunglasses drawn on it. She eyes it warily, then looks over to Ryotarou who lays his head on the table exhausted. Ryuutaros pokes him playfully.

“What did you do?” Hana demands.

“What do you mean “what did I do”? You wanted coffee, I got you coffee,” Momotaros boasts. “So stop being a nosy chick, turn off the waterworks and drink it.”

“He got me banned from Starducks,” Ryotarou whines with a heavy miserable sigh. Hana’s eyes widen and she turns back to Momotaros critically.

“They’ll get over it,” he assures Ryotarou, with an absent wave of his hand.

“You cut the entire line and demanded the baristas drop everything to serve you.”

“I was in a hurry! We only had five minutes to board the train, and did you _see_ the length of that line?” Ryoutarou looks up to give him a tired glare, to which Momotaros shrugs. “It was an emergency.”

“So you keep saying,” Ryotarou sighs again, then lifts himself up and walks over to them. Hana grimaces in sympathy, as she tries to picture the chaos. Really what was Momotaros thinking? He really didn’t need to that?

Ryotarou takes a look at her face and frowns. “I’m still not really sure what this is about, but Hana-san, are you alright? Your eyes are really red.”

“I’m fine,” she replies suddenly shy, and wraps her hands around the coffee cup. It’s warm. “Momo is just being a nuisance.”

“He made her cry,” Kintaros explains, projecting disapproval that suggests that this is _the_ worst thing Momotaros has ever done.

“ _What_?”

“I did not!”

“Senpai just doesn’t understand a lady’s delicate heart,” Urataros adds lightly, though it doesn’t really provide Ryotarou with any answers.

“What was there to understand?” Momotaros snaps, waving his arms aroudn. “The nosy chick was crying because your sis wouldn’t give her any coffee. It wasn’t my fault!”

“I wasn’t crying because of that,” Hana says tiredly, wishing she could find a place to hide. She can’t escape because of how they’ve all crowded around the table and ducking under the table would be childish. She settles for holding up the coffee cup in front of her face. “Forget it already.”

But of course, they’re not going to forget it.

“Wait, my sister was the one who made you cry?” Ryotarou asks, looking as if he might cry himself from this revelation. Or apologize profusely.

“Yeah, see, the nosy chick went to your place—

“It wasn’t her fault!” Hana speaks over Momotaros, fixing him with a glare to shut him up and let her talk. Then she turns back to Ryotarou, and sheepishly explains. “This is all a misunderstanding, okay? She was just concerned since, um, you know, it’s a bit unusual for little kids to order coffee and…”

“Oh…” Ryotarou whispers and averts his gaze. Behind him Urataros and Kintaros exchange looks.

“But, um, I really wasn’t crying because of that!” Hana insists. “I didn’t mean to cry at all, but, um…” she trails off. How would she even explain it?

“I’m sorry Hana-san,” Ryotarou says. “I’ll talk to her so…”

“Ryotarou,” Urataros cuts in swiftly. “What Hana-san means to say is that she’s feeling frustrated. All of a sudden, she’s become a child again, and has to adjust to a new series of limitations. This isn’t about being able to drink coffee. That were just another reminder of her newfound situation, and just happened to be the one that broke the camel’s back, so to say. Is that right?”

Realizing all eyes are on her again, Hana’s face heats up. “Y-yes, exactly,” she mutters. Urataros chuckles to himself pleased, and Hana finds herself envious. It’s somewhat unfair how neatly he’s able to sum up the whirl of emotions she’s been feeling. Not wanting him to have the last word though, she adds,

“So you see, everything’s fine. I’m sorry I got a little emotional, but once I get more used to this body, I’ll be alright. Everyone’s just making a big deal over nothing.”

“It’s not fine,” Ryotarou says with a frown. “Hana-san, this isn’t nothing.”

Hana looks at him confused.

“If…if something’s bothering you, why haven’t you tried to talk to someone about it?” _Like me?_ Ryotarou leaves the final words unsaid, but his tone is firm.

“Ah, well, there’s nothing really that can be done so…”

“That doesn’t mean you should bottle things up,” Ryotarou insists. “Maybe you’re right… there’s probably not much I can do. But Hana-san, you’re my best friend. If something’s troubling you, I’ll do whatever I can to cheer you up. Even if it’s something small like sneaking you my sister’s coffee.”

“Ryotarou…” Hana feels cheered up already. “Thanks.”

She turns to Momotaros next. “Momo, thanks for the coffee. Sorry for the scare.”

Momotaros has never been good with gratitude and just turns away with his arms crossed. “What scare?” he says. “The only thing scary is that creepy meekness. Stop being creepy and drink your coffee.”

She rolls her eyes. Urataros chuckles.

“Hana-san, it doesn’t matter how you look. Big or small, you’re still the elegant flower of our little merry band of fishermen,” he says.

“Although I like Hana-chan better this way,” Ryuutaros chimes in. “She’s more fun now.”

“Uh, sure,” Hana mutters, and decides to just accept it as a compliment. Her eyes land on Kintaros. “Kintaros, I’m alright now. No more crying, I promise.”

“Good,” he harrumphs, still sending Momotaros a presumably pointed look. “Anyone who makes a woman cry shouldn’t dare call himself a man. Hana, if anyone gives you a hard time for any reason, you call me. I’ll make _them_ cry.”

She knows he means it too.

“Thanks.”

Maybe in the city people will treat her different now that she’s a child. But in the DenLiner, she’s still the same old Hana as before.

She lifts the coffee cup Momotaros brought back and takes a sip.

And then immediately turns away.

She’d forgotten something else that children were a little more sensitive too.

The coffee was way too bitter!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I recently finished Den-O and I'm in love with this cast. The Imagin are so quirky, and I love all of the characters interactions!
> 
> One thing that frustrated me a bit while watching though was Hana's de-aging. I know why it happened from the production side, but it felt like once she was de-aged, she was no longer the same character, and she also didn't _do_ much anymore. I like Hana... I wish she'd gotten a little more focus in the end.
> 
> So anyway...this fic. It probably all played out better in my head, and it's a little hard to balance Den-O's large cast (which tends to usually be in the same room most of the time), but I enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading :)
> 
> Feedback is always greatly loved.


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